We’ve crossed the threshold into July, which means it’s time to look back at June’s most essential singles with another edition of Noteworthy Nods: Our monthly curation of the 20 tracks currently holding our office stereo hostage.
As ever, the playlist pulls together a relentless mix of urgent discoveries, reader-submitted gems, and fresh anthems from the longtime favourites we’ll always stand by. (Got a track we missed? Don’t keep it to yourself – drop your recommendations/submissions HERE).
This month’s line-up focuses on formidable riffs, late-night introspection, and several major artists charting ambitious new creative directions. Here are just a few of the key highlights shaking up this month’s mix:
Leading the charge are Dublin’s own Basht., whose brilliant new single “Keira Knightley” dismantles the saccharine, mid-2000s rom-com mythology of Love Actually and rebuilds it into a tense, anxious autopsy of a collapsing relationship. With producer Ali Chant (The Murder Capital, Yard Act, Gruff Rhys) at the helm, the quintet navigate a careful exercise in tension and release, allowing an initially intimate, low-key crawl to swell into a sprawling, volatile post-punk crescendo. It’s an absolute belter of a harbinger for their debut album, trading institutional rage for a sharp, vulnerable wit.
Next up are Toronto’s PUP, whose explosive new single “If This Is It” (a brilliant track rescued from their Who Will Look After The Dogs? sessions) finds the band doing what they do best: sounding gloriously on the edge of a total meltdown. The track pairs sharp, driving guitars with dizzying vocal hooks, capturing that classic PUP energy. It’s an absolute powerhouse return to form, channeling the exact raw, chaotic energy that made us fall in love with them in the first place.
Keeping the momentum going are indie heavyweights Bloc Party with their glossy new single “Love Bombs” – a track that sounds like a massive, late-night panic attack disguised as a disco anthem. Working alongside legendary pop wizard Trevor Horn, the band ditches their classic angular guitar work in favour of a polished, synth-driven floor-filler about the sheer madness of a new obsession. It’s an incredibly brave, curveball preview for their upcoming record Anatomy Of A Brief Romance, proving that Kele and the boys are still fully committed to keeping everyone guessing.
Doubling down on the raw, post-punk grit of their recent studio album are Suede, who prove they’re still the masters of dark, high-voltage drama with their blistering new single “Emotionally Unavailable.” Pulled from their upcoming Antidepressants: Expanded deluxe package, the track is a propulsive, heavy guitar-driven anthem that effectively bridges the theatrical romance of their 1993 debut with a leaner, aggressive contemporary edge. It’s a beautifully calculated jolt of punk, anchored by a sharp Brett Anderson lyric twist that shifts from objective storytelling into a stark, confessional look at modern alienation.
Elsewhere, Manchester four-piece Arkayla follow up previous Noteworthy Nod, “Run Kid” with their driving new single “Doba.” Produced by Jolyon Thomas (The Howl & The Hum, Sports Team, Royal Blood), the track channels the death-defying endurance of the legendary Polish explorer Aleksander Doba into a relentless, live-room assault. It’s a lean, urgent manifestation of guitar rock that deliberately bypasses standard indie clichés. Instead, the band channels a focused, adrenaline-driven jolt of defiance, preserving that raw studio energy to deliver a track that hits with undeniable force.
These selections are merely a starting point. Whether you’re in need of a moment of quiet introspection or a direct jolt of adrenaline, we think our latest Noteworthy Nods playlist captures the diverse state of today’s alternative music scene — hopefully providing more than enough to tide you over until our return at the end of July.
Alongside our weekly track picks, Noteworthy Nods also brings you regular videocast interviews with the artists we’re genuinely excited about. You can catch every episode on the playlist HERE, featuring everyone from The Enemy and Kula Shaker to Stanleys, Bilk, The Subways, Lottery Winners, The Slow Readers Club, and Shed Seven, alongside a deep archive of essential voices.
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